Climb a Mountain and Turn Around
by Exquisiteliltart
Summary: Summary: Storybrooke's Sheriff's Department acquires a new vehicle and Emma takes Regina for a test drive.


"Mom, please can I go with grandpa? Please? It's totally safe. He'll drive really careful."

Henry sprinted over to Regina, who was leaning against her car in the parking lot of the Sheriff's department. He tugged her by the hand and practically dragged her over to the new addition to Storybrooke's police force: a brand new Ranger ATV.

"I think it's ridiculous that Snow would allocate such a large portion of the town's funds to what is essentially an unnecessary toy," Regina waved her hand in dismissal, remaining completely unimpressed.

"But the town bought it and so we might as well use it. Can I go, please? Just one ride?" Henry was rapidly becoming flat out annoying. "Emma would let me."

"Henry, that's not going to work this time. I don't want you riding around on this thing. It's so open and you could fall out or get decapitated by a tree branch," Regina glared at David who had wisely remained quiet on the matter. He gave an apologetic look to Henry, who hung his head in defeat.

Emma walked out of the building, sliding up to greet everyone, "Hey, what's up? My shift just ended."

"Emma, Mom won't let me go for a ride on the new Ranger, but you'll tell her it's completely fine and cool for me to go, right?" Henry turned his earnest puppy eye expression onto his other mother. She took a step back, realizing she had just walked into a disagreement.

"Regina, this vehicle is safer than horseback riding and you encourage Henry to do that. Horses don't have a roll bar, and this baby does," David threw down in the argument, giving Emma time to feel out her position.

"Yeah, but horses are lame. This goes over 60 miles per hour!" Henry added, not helping his case whatsoever.

"And tell me again, just why exactly, you thought it was so important to make this purchase?" Regina slid her hands in her pockets, shooting a glare at David, while Henry looked anxiously back and forth between the adults.

"With Dairy Queen hiding out in the woods, we needed something that can handle all terrain so we can expand our patrol past Main Street," Emma explained diplomatically and Regina's eyes softened ever so slightly. "I'm tired of all these nature hikes I've had to take recently and I trip over logs way too often. I'm just saying there was a reason to buy it beyond David going for pleasure rides."

Regina nodded, accepting Emma's answer, but still not convinced that she should allow her one and only son on the death trap.

"Henry, why don't I take you home and you can play your car racing video game?" Regina offered smiling brightly to try and sell him on the idea.

Henry's lip pouted out and his shoulders sagged in defeat. He didn't want to play a video game, he wanted to go out on the Ranger and chase down the Snow Queen. Emma sympathized with his look and gave him a nod that said, 'I got this.'

She turned to Regina, grabbing her arm and leading her away from David and Henry. "Hey, it's not that dangerous and David will be careful. I'll tell him just take the kid over to the nature trail and give him a little spin to make him happy, okay?"

"I am not letting Henry ride it until I have safety ratings in my hands. I need data on crash testing and impact rate, do you understand?"

"Yeah, but how about this: I will take you for a ride and you can see for yourself that it's not dangerous? If you think it's too much than we'll drop the whole thing, but at least give it a shot before you knock it," Emma widened her eyes the same way Henry was so adept at.

"So now _my_ life is in _your_ hands, Ms. Swan?" Regina licked her lips and looked her up and down before jetting her chin out and laughing mockingly.

"Yep, pretty much. Come on, I'll be easy on you," Emma gave Regina a pat on the back and started to walk over to the vehicle. Regina crossed her arms in protest, but followed after her, rolling her eyes at the thought that she was actually going to ride the monstrosity.

"I'm gonna take her for a ride so she can see that it's safe and as long nothing bad happens, you'll be able to go on a ride with David tomorrow, okay, Henry?" Emma smiled at her son and he nodded happily, placing a hand over his face so he wasn't laughing at his mother trying to hop up onto the ranger in her high heels.

"Have fun!" Henry was heartily amused as Emma waved back at him and smiled.

Regina situated herself on the passenger side and crossed her legs at the ankle, just as Emma swung herself in and landed hard in the driver's seat.

"Good you have gloves on. The wind can get really cold when we start to get up to speed," Emma warned. Emma placed her thermos of coffee in the cup holder on the side of the Ranger.

"Let's just get this over with," Regina cleared her throat as Emma started the engine and revved it up.

The blonde leaned over and grabbed Regina's seatbelt pulling it across her chest and stomach to make sure it was tight before clicking it in the fastener.

Regina swatted at Emma and pushed her back, "I can fasten my own seatbelt!"

"I know. I just wanted to make sure that you're secure. I am taking responsibility for your safety, you know," Emma clicked her own belt into place and released the parking break, while shifting into high gear and hitting the gas.

They lurched forward before Regina could make any more remarks about safety or lack thereof and instead her hand flew to grab hold of something while she bounced around in the seat. She barked at Emma, "I thought you said you were a good driver!?"

"Only a few accidents, here and there," Emma shrugged, and patted Regina's knee, "You'll be fine. Now, do you want a ride or do you want a _ride_?"

Not waiting for a response, Emma increased the speed as she headed behind the Sheriff's station and onto the path that led through the cemetery and out to the woods. Regina held on, but stayed quiet bracing herself by holding onto the handle. The wind whipped at both of their hair, and stung their eyes, but Regina had to admit it was exhilarating to ride so fast. It did remind her of horseback riding a bit.

Emma slowed down as they hit the trail, rolling over a patch of tall weeds, seed pods came loose and flew into their faces, getting stuck all over their hair and clothes.

"Do watch where you're going!"

Just as Regina started to bitch, Emma hit a huge mud puddle at the bottom of the hill and the Ranger lurched over the jagged ditch splashing peels of mud like splattered frosting all over them. Regina had a large smear of mud on her nose and tiny ones covering her face and neck, as well as her hair and coat. Emma was equally muddy and she couldn't help but laugh in joy when she saw Regina's face.

"Now we're riding! You gotta get dirty that's part of the fun of this whole experience," Emma punctuated her statement by taking a tight turn and changing course up a steep embankment, while Regina stewed in anger, still not over the fact that she was now filthy.

They zipped and zagged around trees and logs, and broke out into an open field where Emma increased the speed and made sharp turns, and Regina laughed from the thrill of it.

"It's like riding a rollercoaster, kinda," Emma yelled over the roar of the wind and the engine.

"I've never been on a rollercoaster," Regina shot back, shaking her head like Emma should obviously know that.

"We should take a trip to Disneyworld, then. I prefer Universal Studios, but I think you need to go to Disney," Emma just imagined Regina getting into a fight with a costumed Snow White, or worse yelling that the story was misinterpreted to passerby children.

Flying up over a loose pile of rock, the vehicle rocked back and forth and Emma instinctively reached out to brace Regina. It was only out of control for a moment, and Emma took her hand away, but Regina noticed and was oddly touched by the gesture of protection.

Glancing at her shyly, Emma smiled and hit the gas climbing up a bigger hill and going further to reaches of outer Storybrooke that she had never been through before.

"I'd like to go back now. I think I've had enough fun, dear," Regina squeezed her eyes shut as they tipped sideways on the hill. She didn't like that feeling, and she was starting to get nauseated. The bank grew steeper and Regina was sure she was going to fall out despite her very tight seatbelt.

"Emma!" Regina sounded panicked and Emma pulled up and leveled out the Ranger, while reaching over and grabbing Regina's arm.

"Hey, I'm sorry. Are you okay? I didn't mean to scare you that bad."

Soothingly, she rubbed her arm and Regina opened her eyes, taking a deep breath and relaxing into the comforting touch of the hand on her arm. She quickly composed herself and snaked out of Emma's grip.

"I'm fine. I just think I'd like to go back."

"Um, Regina?"

"What?"

Emma pointed ahead where she stared transfixed at the ice wall that surrounded town, they had found themselves right on the edge and it had come up fast. The ground around them shook as the mountain of ice rumbled.

"I think there's about to be a Landslide!"

Huge chunks of ice were angrily rolling toward the ranger. The temperature dropped by 30 degrees and the wind picked up instantaneously, Throwing her hands up, Regina attempted to poof them both away, and in her excitement and to her surprise she succeeded: Emma was in one piece, Regina was fine and they were both sitting just as before in the Ranger.

"You saved us…and the Ranger that you are so fond of."

"Yes, well, it just happened. No need to make a big deal out of it. I could have left you…" Regina paused and looked around; they were located all the way across Storybrooke on the beach, down shore from the docks.


End file.
